Henry Irving was a Victorian and Edwardian English actor-manager born into poverty in the West Country. He spent years in provincial theatres before becoming a West End star in the 1870s with The Bells. From 1878 he ran the Lyceum in London with Ellen Terry as his leading lady, staging lavish Shakespeare productions that toured Britain and North America. Known for an intense, magnetic presence, he played both noble and villainous roles. Irving spent decades campaigning to have acting recognised as an art on a par with music and painting, and in 1895 he became the first actor to be knighted.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.